


The meaning of being partners

by SweetAlphaChild



Series: Tobidei week 2017 [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Cause they have to be friends before being lovers, Friendship, Humor, M/M, Partnership, TobiDei Week, TobiDei Week 2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-09
Updated: 2017-10-09
Packaged: 2019-01-15 07:29:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12316548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetAlphaChild/pseuds/SweetAlphaChild
Summary: Deidara wasn't expecting too much from his first day of training with his new partner.For Tobidei Appreciation Week 2017Day 1: First time





	The meaning of being partners

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Naruto and his characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto

He had been moaning for days because instead of looking for someone competent to replace his dead partner, they gave him Tobi. Days of hearing the idiot of the mask gush about how happy he is because Deidara is his "senpai" now. Days of cursing Pein-sama for taking the decision, Sasori for having turned out to be a sappy kid that died, and Tobi for being Tobi. Even Zetsu, in who he thought he had found an ally, and who did not protest enough after knowing they would take his assistant from him.

But that morning, Deidara took the decision to put aside his displeasure and give his new partner a chance. Sure, he must have something good, or salvageable in the worst of the situations. In addition, having a partner with that level of skills also brings benefits. He will no longer have to argue with anyone to earn his right to fight. His art will get all the limelight. He was even thrilled to begin his first training together. Which, quite possibly, would not be a proper training session but an introduction to each other's techniques and fighting style.

When he reached the sheltered clearing where he always trained, Tobi wasn't there. He spent the previous day reminding him about the training, because he was sure that the other was going to forget and never turn up. His partner had gotten up before him, and he didn't see him at breakfast, so he thought he had got up early to be ready in time. He was too optimistic, Deidara was learning not to expect too much discipline from Tobi.

Maybe he was scared of his art. Yes. That sounded about right. Tobi was a bigmouth, but in reality...

As he thought about it, something sprouted out the ground, right between his feet, which rose in the air. It wasn't long before he realized that the one who had caught him unawares was his new partner, and now he was sitting on his shoulders, with his legs on either side of his head.

"Tobi is here! Sorry for being late senpaaaai!"

The scene was terribly familiar, and now that he had his neck between his legs again, Deidara crosses them and squeezes hard. This time he will strangle him for real.

"What do you think you're doing, hm?"

"Stop, senpai! I can't breathe...!"

"That's the point, you genius!"

He squeezed harder, and Tobi staggered dangerously backward.

"It was a joke! I'll be good... from now on! For real!"

Taking pity on him and because he would get in trouble if he ended up without a partner again so soon, he jumped back to the grass as Tobi rubbed his aching neck.

"Deidara-senpai wants to kill Tobi again..." he murmured with feigned sadness.

"You're wrong, Tobi. Not 'again', I always want to kill you," he said with a shrug.

It bothered him a little that he couldn't feel his presence. Deidara was always on constant alert, scanning his surroundings for hidden hostile presences. If someone like Tobi had been able to reach him successfully. Did that mean anyone could?

"How violent you Akatsuki guys are."

"And you're in the Akatsuki now, behave like one. I hope you're at least ready to start."

Deidara motioned for him to follow.

Kakuzu had remained skeptical about his ability to act responsibly, he was the only one who complanied about the decision to leave someone "as immature as him" in charge of Tobi. Despite being the only one rooting for his cause, Deidara didn't take too well his lack of faith in his abilities. However, he was already getting used to the idea, didn't dislike is as much now.

"I won't be too hard on you today. It will be something light, only to know each other better in terms of techniques and fighting style, hm. Now show me your techniques.

Before answering, Tobi laughed and the artist raised an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation about what was so funny.

"I already showed you one."

"Mogurakure no justu, yes. But that doton technique is taught to freshers at our ninja academy. All children aspiring to become genins in Iwa, even the most useless ones know how to do it.

"Wrong, it was _catching senpai off-guard no justu_ ".

He had no right to be angry, for Tobi was right. But still, that pissed Deidara off. They had not started, and the airhead had already scored a point. Maybe he underestimated him. Even such a simple technique required some finesse, you had the ones who completely destroyed the floor, and those who could pass through with little to no damage, but Tobi came in and out easily, like a fish in the water and that was something he hadn't seen many people do. He opened his mouth to yell at him, but just then he realized he didn't know what to say.

_Calm down, don't freak out._

He repeated it several times in his head, feeling that he was gonna have to use his bombs too early. Deidara wasn't good at calming himself, but that time, he managed to succeed. He cleared his throat to conceal his mistake.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny," he snapped," I will now show you my most basic technique. You must know it already, but you will learn how it works in more detail. Pay attention, Tobi!"

Deidara put his hands inside his clay pouches, smiling in the way he only did when he knew something was about to explode thanks to him and his creations. His excitement so overwhelming that even if he tried, he could not manage to contain.

"Senpai will perform exclusively for Tobi!"

Seeing him so excited, Deidara decided that he wasn't going to skrimp on his chakra reserves. Beetles of white clay, grasshoppers, spiders, birds of various kinds, even some that were entirely of his invention, came out of his hands, a huge centipede and a snake, and even a kind of sticky-looking humanoid figure whose consistency helped to catch the opponent in close combat. After making the seals of the snake and the tiger, two of the birds increased in size.

"This is my C1 in its various variants. It's a very versatile technique, hm. As you can see, each one is specially designed to meet certain needs in battle. I also have a jellyfish and piranhas, resilient in aquatic environments. "Raising a hand, one of the birds he had created flew to rest on it. "They also obey my orders, or I can have them act on autopilot according to simple commands, oh and I can create kamikaze clones too. They've saved my life more than once."

Tobi started clapping.

"Bravo! Bravo! You are so talented, Deidara-senpai! Can you make a rabbit?"

"I don't usually create mammals, they don't inspire me as much. But once I made a rabbit, hm."

Using a little more clay to mold it, a white rabbit came out of his hand a moment later, which began to jump across the floor. Tobi applauded even more when he saw his request brought to reality.

"And can you make an elephant!?"

That animal only lived in remote places to which he never traveled. He had heard of it and seen a few drawings, but he'd never seen one.

"I might. But I need to mold it first. My hands can only memorize and replicate designs created beforehand"

All the animals began to run and fly in different directions, Deidara placed the index and heart fingers parallel to his face, concentrating on the idea of releasing the energy contained in his small creations.

"Katsu!"

The explosions were so intense that they covered the sky and the surroundings. Tobi covered his ears, bending over himself as Deidara enjoyed the visual and sonorous spectacle of his art.

"But don't cover your ears, you airhead! How are you gonna enjoy my performance if you do so!?"

He was offended by his lack of appreciation.

"Well, loud noises are scary, so who can blame me?!" He defended himself, and Deidara settled for it.

Transmitting fear was also another of his goals, although his partner of all people wasn't supposed to have it if they were going to work together. He would have to get used to loud noises, they were part of his art and he wasn't gonna allow him to appreciate only his sculptures and not the explosions that came with them.

"Then I have bad news for you. Because my C3 is ten times more powerful than all those put together. It can wipe out mountains, forests, entire cities from the map. I only use it on very special occasions."

In fact, it was Tobi's turn to show another technique, but when the limelight belonged to his art, Deidara had a hard time losing it.

"Interesting! I'm already shaking with fear, senpai!"

For his C3, Deidara needed to concentrate much more chakra. The sculpture was too small for all the energy it concentrated, and every time he did it he felt it shaking in his hands, eager to release chaos. One of his greatest pride.

"But to appreciate the show better, we can't be on the ground." Deidara created a bird and they both went up. "We can't take too long, hm. The C3 is very unstable, it will explode on its own after a while."

Horrified, Tobi gasped.

"We are going to die! Maybe Deidara-senpai wants to die, but I don't! Why didn't you wait a bit more!? Help!" He shouted, running in circles on top of the bird.

Deidara used his free arm to stop him. He was ok with a dash of danger.

"Moron! Don't delay us any longer and everything will be fine!"

He sought an inhospitable place among the mountains. If there was anyone else down there, bad luck. As soon as he released the C3 in the air, it increased in size, unfolding the arms to encompass even more terrain. The design was inspired by the scream of terror of someone who has just realized they're going to die. The end was the driving theme of all his philosophy, and according to Deidara, that was a sublime moment. The reaction of someone facing their inevitable mortality, one that they reject. He wasn't joking when he said it was ten times more powerful than all of his C1 put together. Tobi hugged him tightly as it exploded, and the shock wave dangerously shook the clay bird.

"I told you, Tobi! I told you it would be great!" He shouted unable to contain his laughter. "And you've missed it."

Looking down, he watched with pride the steaming crater his C3 had caused. Death, brevity, profound transformation. That was the cycle of the world. It felt good to contribute to it.

"Can we go back down now?"

Tobi still wouldn't let go, it was hard for him to breathe, but he was in such a good mood that he didn't care. Perhaps eventually he would appreciate the fleeting moment of beauty created by his art.

"Of course. You still have to see the C2. My favorite technique."

He was having a great time, and it wasn't even a real fight. To make the C2, Deidara needed both hands working at the same time. After his other two techniques, he was starting to feel exhausted and lacking in energy and he was getting a bit hungry, as always when he used too much chakra in one go. He took some clay in each hand and then gathered them together. Both tongues intertwined to form a single ball that enlarged when it was ready. Deidara hurled it a few feet in front of them and both ninjas watched intently as it grew to form a massive dragon.

"Aaaaawesome, senpai! I've never seen anything like this before!"

Deidara's smile grew wider. He raised his face with pride, bringing a fist to his chest.

"And you haven't yet seen what it can do, hm," he said, jumping over the head of his creation. "Come on, come on up."

But Tobi ignored him, instead he approached the dragon and caressed it between its nostrils.

"You look like a Ryu-chan! That will be your name!"

"Don't you dare name it with that stupid name! Don't you know that 'ryu' actually means 'dragon'!? It's like naming a dog Dog or a cat Cat!"

Tobi shook his head in denial.

"Tsk, tsk, senpai. Ryu-chan is a she-dragon."

"And how do you know that?"

"I just do. Is it true or not, Ryu-chan?" to his dismay, his creation licked Tobi, making him laugh, as he was a little weak, it was starting to act on its own, he had to concentrate, it wasn't convenient to use so much chakra at once. "You see? She likes me, senpai!"

"Come up here," he snapped. "And stop acting stupid. Ryu-chan is a weapon, not a pet, hm."

He was already beginning use that stupid name and shortly after that, he also started using female pronouns to refer to his C2. Yes, it was his favorite technique, but now that he had to work with Tobi, he felt as if those additions were part of her as well. Strangely, he thought he'd be angrier with all the freedoms his new partner was taking. They were a team now, and it felt as if accepting his contributions united them. Which could only be good in battle.

From the air, Deidara showed Tobi all that the newly-named dragon could do. Ryu-chan opened her jaws, and out of her mouth came two dragons identical to her but smaller in size.

"These are surprisingly fast, they will besiege the enemy without rest. I usually use them in pairs, as it's more difficult for the enemy to keep track of two targets, hm."

"They look so much like their mum," Tobi said.

"She can also spit C1 bombs. Hundreds of them at a time. With my lens I can get great accuracy, even from the heights."

Tobi put his hand under the mask, thoughtfully. It was a change that wasn't making a racket.

"I have an idea, Deidara-senpai!"

"Let's see," Deidara mumble, not having much faith in said idea.

"Could you make... loooots of C1 bombs? But don't make them explode, just let them fall. Is it possible to do that?"

All right. He had managed to intrigue him.

"Of course I can do it, it's very simple, hm."

Deidara fulfilled Tobi's request, causing Ryu-chan to descend and drop piles of clay spiders to the ground. Tobi got off, and using mogurakure no jutsu, he buried them on the ground. The artist nodded interested, already understood what his disciple was trying to do. He was witty, and helpful. It would never have occurred to him, because he was always more inspired by something flashy, showing the enemy his art from the start. Preparing such an ambush wasn't his style, but it would be effective, that would be for sure.

"Done! Now no one will suspect that there are works of art under their feet!" He laughed, turning back over the dragon's head.

"I'm impressed, Tobi," Deidara admitted, slapping him on the shoulder. "I can even program them to activate the contact, or make them explode whenever I want, hm. Good job."

Rising again, Deidara exploded the ground under his feet to confirm the effectiveness of the new technique, and because that was the end that awaited all his creations.

"It will be our first technique together, so exciting! We make a good team! Don't you think so, Deidara-senpai? Together we'll catch all the Jinchuuriki in record time!"

"Better than I expected, hm. You didn't show me much yet, don't think I've forgotten. But today I have already spent too much chakra. It will be another day. In truth... There is one more technique that I want to show you.

He unzipped Akatsuki's robe and slid it down his arms, dropping it onto the C2's head. When he took off his shirt too, Tobi gasped.

"Oh! That should be distract the enemies with a striptease no jutsu! Awesome idea, senpai!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" He shouted, though unable to ignore the implicit compliment, he wasn't too hard on him. "A couple of weeks ago you asked me what the tattoo on my chest meant. Today I'm going to tell you, hm. Come closer."

Tobi obeyed, running a gloved finger through the fourth mouth, sewn with a black thread.

"What is it for?"

"There's something living in there. The day I break the stitches and feed it some clay, it will activate and drain all the energy from every cell of my body for an unparalleled explosion that will turn me into my own ultimate masterpiece. It's called, C0, "he explained, proudly.

It was known by very few people, even in the Akatsuki. The point was to catch the enemy unprepared, though it was not as if they could escape that technique, even if they knew about its existence.

"So the rumor was true," Tobi said thoughtfully.

"Who told you?" He asked, frustrated that his partner wasn't completely taken aback.

"Zetsu did. He knows everything, he's a great spy, senpai."

"I won't use this technique unless on a very extreme situation, hm. But if you ever see me removing the stitches... I want you to run away from there as fast as you can. My C0 covers a radius of ten kilometers. Just run out of there and enjoy the views because you will never see something like that ever again in your lifetime. And of course as my partner, I want you to witness it and enjoy yourself. Do you understand, Tobi?"

Tobi was slow to react to the request.

"Understood!"

Deidara nodded, pleased. He hadn't succeeded on impressing Tobi with the news of his C0, but he still had an ace up his sleeve... He knew the risks of telling him. He could talk, and he still didn't know if he was completely reliable, however the idea of surprising him was too tempting. He was overcome by a great sense of companionship, something that had never happened to him, not even when he was in his old team back in Iwagakure. It hadn't even been a month since Tobi was part of Akatsuki. Maybe that was what truly meant to be partners.

"If you behave, I'll tell you a secret next time. Something I've never told anyone else before. Not even Sasori no Danna."

"A secret!?" Tobi said, regaining his former attitude. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Promise!"

"Not even Zetsu, hm!"

"Especially not Zetsu. What is it? What is it, senpai?"

"A secret technique," he said quietly, close to her ear.

"Wow... And what technique is it?" He whispered back, sticking even more to him.

"A new type of bomb, a microscopic one. So small and imperceptible that it can be breathed without the enemy noticing it. And once inside that person's system, the thousands of mini explosions will disintegrate their body until the only thing left is dust. I call it C4 or Garuda."

"What an amazing technique, senpai! Why do you keep it a secret?"

"Because I save it especially for the day when I face Itachi Uchiha, when we capture all the Jinchuuriki and we are no longer indispensable to Pein-sama, I'll challenge him. As members of the Akatsuki, I can't do it yet. I plan to kill him with that technique. I intend to make him finally recognize the value of my art."

He clenched his fists. Talking about Itachi made his blood boil, even if it was about his plan to defeat him.

"That would be a cool fight, and of course I'm rooting for senpai... But... If you use your C0 before that, you will never be able to beat Itachi."

"Don't worry. I'm not going to leave this world without sending him to hell first. You know? There are only two Uchihas remaining. The idea of bringing them to extinction myself is too tempting."

Against all odds, Tobi laughed so hard he had to hold his stomach. He always did when he was about to say something stupid, Deidara could see that coming from miles away.

"You're so cute, senpai."

Deidara raised an eyebrow.

"Why that comment so out of the blue, huh?"

"Nothing... Nevermind... If I was an Uchiha would you also want to kill me? You're going to make me cry."

"I told you, Tobi. I always want to kill you," he replied, smiling, were not the Uchihas supposed to be geniuses? "But if you really are one and you tell me everything you know about the sharingan, I might change my mind."

**Author's Note:**

> According to Deidara, C4 was his secret technique, but in the manga, Tobi knew of its existence, that must be, of course, because he told him. Deidara would sooo sell a secret like that to show off in front of someone eager to admire his art. Or that's what I think, at least.  
> Happy Tobidei week everyone!


End file.
